Planning underway for a sustainable Northeast Ohio

A collaborative effort aimed to help revitalize 12 counties in Northeast Ohio wants to hear from residents to help develop a vision for a more vibrant, resilient and sustainable region.

The Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium is a group of 33 organizations located in Lake, Geauga, Cuyahoga and nine other counties.

During the last two years, NEOSCC and more than 150 regional experts have conducted and compiled research about where Northeast Ohio is now with a look to where the region will head toward 2040.

Hunter Morrison, NEOSCC executive director, gave a presentation about the goals of the organization at the monthly meeting Monday of the Lake County Mayors and City Managers Association.

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"Scenario planning helps the public and decision makers understand the long-term consequences of the choices they make today," Morrison said.

Part of that effort includes a recently launched online game tool called "ImagineMyNEO."

The game tool is designed to put residents into the role of a regional planner who makes critical policy decisions and weigh priorities for the future of Northeast Ohio. It can be accessed by visiting www.vibrantneo.org/imagine.

"Our goal with ImagineMyNEO is to ask residents, 'What would this region look like in the future if you are in charge?' " Morrison said. "Users can share their priorities for the future and make the kinds of policy choices necessary to help create that future, and all in an engaging way."

Users can learn about the ways that different policy choices can affect a variety of priorities in both positive or negative ways, he said.

For example, a project option in the game tool is, "Invest in pedestrian, bicycling and public transit services."

This type of project would positively support the priority of having a community where kids can walk to school or having a community with an urban character, according to NEOSCC.

However, the same type of project would negatively affect the priority of keeping taxes low.

NEOSCC also will host public workshops in mid-September to build off previous efforts and to factor in the region's stated priorities and values.